TBI

VETERANS OF MODERN WARFARE

Bridging the Gap

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Traumatic Brain Injury

Today’s soldiers are facing new injuries that soldiers before them have never faced. Sadly, every war has a signature wound. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the wound of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).

TBI does not only affect soldiers. Yearly, 1.5 million people suffer from a brain injury (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000). Common causes of TBI are: blows to the head, penetrating head injuries, falls, traffic accidents, and assaults. Blasts from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are the returning soldier’s main cause of TBI. Sixty-four percent of OIF wounded soldiers sustained blast injuries.

These types of brain injuries can range in mild to severe with impairment of the following areas:

Other side affects of TBI include: post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, mood swings, nausea, sleep disturbance, and erratic behavior (Organization for Brain Injury Professionals, 2007).

Because there is often no physical sign of a head or brain injury, TBI is frequently misdiagnosed. It is critical to find a physician that specializes in diagnosing and treating TBI. TBI is treated by treating each symptom through rehabilitation and education.

TBI has a major impact on the soldier and his or her family.

For More Information:

Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center: www.DVBIC.org

Find Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center Clinics: http://www.dvbic.org/dvbicsites.html

Kansas Resources: http://www.srskansas.org/hcp/css/HeadInjury.htm

Missouri Resources: www.tbimo.org

Kansas City Resources: www.biaks.org

Blast Injury Institute: http://www.blastinjuryinstitute.org

Sources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center